Major traffic on South Fork caused by fatal crash on County Rd 39

County Road 39 was closed in both directions between Shrubland Road and Tuckahoe Road in Southampton yesterday afternoon and evening for about 4 hours due to a fatal multiple-vehicle accident that occurred shortly before 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, just as the afternoon rush hour was beginning.As reported on 27east.com, Southampton Town Police said that the accident was caused when the delivery truck driver who was killed in the collision strayed from the eastbound lane of travel and sideswiped three westbound vehicles before striking a fourth vehicle head-on.Three people from the other vehicles involved were taken to Stony Brook Southampton by ambulances from the Southampton Volunteer Ambulance for treatment of minor injuries.The accident left debris and construction equipment strewn across the roadway, police said, and required a detailed investigation to determine the sequence of the incident.The Southampton Fire Department’s heavy rescue unit was called in to extricate the body of the deceased driver from the vehicle. The body has been turned over to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office for examination.Southampton Town Police have identified the man killed in yesterday’s crash as Anasser Almontaser, age 33, of Staten Island. They had previously said that he was driving a 2014 GMC commercial van and was heading east into Southampton when the crash occurred.Conty Road 39 was reopened at about 7:30 last night but the lagging traffic backups were still leading to long lines of traffic in much of downtown Southampton Village as late as 9 p.m.***A Southampton flight instructor crash-landed a small plane that experienced engine trouble into the Hudson River in total darkness on Monday night near New Windsor in upstate New York — a feat that other experienced pilots said was a masterful display of flying skill. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that New York State Police say that two people were aboard the plane when it crashed: the pilot, Liam D’arcy, 31, and a 17-year-old flight student whom they did not identify.FAA records indicate that the plane, a single-engined 1978 Cessna 172, is owned by American Airman Inc., which operates a flight school based at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.D’Arcy is also a lifeguard who worked for many years at Gurney’s Montauk Resort.The plane had taken off from MacArthur shortly before 7 p.m. Monday and flown north to New York Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, where it landed briefly and then took off again, according to the flight tracking app Flight Aware.After heading southeast again back toward Long Island for a short period the plane did an about-face and headed back toward Stewart Airport.State Police said the pilot reported experiencing engine trouble.A local pilot who is familiar with the incident said that the engine lost oil pressure and started to stall. The plane was only at an altitude of 2,500 feet and the pilot realized the plane was not going to be able to glide back to the airport and deliberately turned back out over the river where it would be safer to make a crash-landing.“This is where he displayed amazing aeronautical decision-making — he knew continuing toward the airport was a bad idea because it was too far away … and between him and the airport was just residential homes and dense forested hills,” said Kathryn Slye, a veteran pilot from East Hampton who knows D’arcy from East Hampton Airport.“He was talking to Stewart tower [air traffic control] who did an excellent job giving him all the right information and coordinating how best to rescue him — including reminding him of the Newburgh Bridge, which Liam saw and turned back away from.”Another pilot who said he knows D’Arcy from flying out of East Hampton Airport in recent years said that he’d found him to be knowledgeable and professional around aircraft.“He always struck me as a good, responsible pilot and a great instructor. He is just generally a smart guy,” the pilot, who asked not to be named, said. “You can tell from this he remained calm under difficult circumstances. That had to be scary, just incredibly stressful, to say the least, but it seems he kept his cool. I’m glad they both came out of it okay.”***The East End Food Hub, at the site of the former Homeside Florist on the busy corner of Route 25 and Route 105 in Riverhead, is reopening its doors to the public this weekend for a pop-up fair connecting residents with farmers that offer Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions. The fair begins a series of upcoming public events at the site, including the return of the East End Food Market on March 21.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the CSA Fair this coming Saturday, March 7, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the intersection of Route 25 and Route 105 in Riverhead. It’s a chance for “families to meet local farmers offering up shares of seasonal produce, chat with local farmers and find the right fit to enjoy the best of the East End harvest all season long,” according to an announcement from East End Food.CSAs are subscription services in which members sign up and pay at the beginning of a growing season for a share of the farmer’s harvest throughout the year. Since the late 1980s, these types of farm businesses have provided farmers with much-needed seed capital at the beginning of a growing season, and provided consumers with a stake in the farmer’s success.The Food Hub is also organizing several upcoming events in partnership with Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, which “will focus on learning opportunities to support the region’s farming community.Several evening educational sessions this spring will focus on tax preparation for farmers. A full listing of events is at eastendfood.org/calendar.***Riverhead Town officials are ready for a fresh start at Enterprise Park at Calverton after a NYS Supreme Court justice threw out all but one claim a venture aerospace company alleged against the town in a lawsuit over the canceled $40 million sale of the property.In the Feb. 27 ruling, Justice David Reilly dismissed 16 of 17 claims in the complaint filed by Calverton Aviation & Technology, which sought to transform the 1,643-acre site into a high-tech aviation and industrial hub.Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the decision dismantles the company's effort to force Riverhead to close the deal and clears the town of allegations of breaching contracts, fraud and other claims. But litigation will continue as Reilly's ruling clears the path for a trial on a surviving claim of tortious interference.Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin called the decision a “win” for residents and said he wants to explore ideas big and small for the site.“It’s an opportunity to create a brighter future,” Halpin told NEWSDAY. “It’s time to get busy and start putting that property to work for the taxpayers.”Ronald Rossi, a Manhattan attorney representing Calverton Aviation & Technology, said CAT plans to proceed to trial on that tort claim and appeal the dismissals.A notice of a pending lawsuit remains in place on the EPCAL site, limiting Riverhead Town’s options for the property until the legal issues are resolved.But local lawmakers and residents are envisioning the future of the site, where Grumman once built F-14 jets. After the plant closed, in 1998 the U.S. Navy sold the property to Riverhead for $1, intending it be used for economic development to offset 4,000 lost jobs and tax revenue.John McAuliff, coordinator of the community group EPCAL Watch, said the Town of Riverhead should conduct a "serious investigation” into the best long-term uses based on resident feedback and development specialists.***Gas prices on Long Island jumped 10 cents overnight Wednesday, with the average price of regular gasoline across Nassau and Suffolk counties hitting $3 a gallon, and industry experts warning of the war in Iran's potential to drive up consumer costs at the pump and beyond.Victor Ocasio reports in NEWSDAY that a gallon of regular gasoline on Long Island was $2.90 on Tuesday, an increase of roughly 3 cents from Monday, according to AAA’s online fuel price tracker.The ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which started Saturday has driven up crude oil prices and severely impacted oil refinery operations in the Middle East, AAA Northeast said yesterday.Long Island gas prices are up 14 cents from a week ago, the roadside assistance nonprofit said.Nationally, gas prices jumped 9 cents from Tuesday into Wednesday and were up to $3.19 a gallon, 22 cents higher than they were last week.Crude oil prices were $75.67 a barrel in late-day trading Wednesday. By comparison, prices per barrel were about $65 last week before the war began, Robert Sinclair Jr., senior manager of public affairs at AAA Northeast, told Newsday."Long Island is catching up with other markets," Sinclair said, adding that Nassau and Suffolk counties have traditionally enjoyed a lower price at the pump due to efficiencies in gas distribution. Although gasoline pricing on the south fork of Long Island is usually higher than the national average...especially east of Southampton Village. "Retailers are coming to the obvious conclusion that this is something that is going to affect everybody," he said.Reaching $3 a gallon marks a significant "pain point" for many drivers, particularly for lower income families, he added.According to a national 2022 survey, 40% of respondents said $3 or more per gallon would be the...